Friday, September 5, 2014

Owls, harbingers of death or symbols of wisdom? by Maggie Tideswell

I have written ghosts in the past, but they aren’t all I am
interested in. Owls are another passion of mine and are repeatedly used
in my novels. My owls always act in unusual ways, for instance they fly
together in a swarm, which they never do in real life; they attack
humans, which is highly unlikely; and they guard or protect a human
being, which is also not in their nature. That is the fun part of being a
novelist. To serve the purpose of my story, owls may behave in any way I
want them to, although I mostly stick to the known facts.

We all know
the basics of owls. They are birds known for their distinctive call,
they are nocturnal and their flight is silent, and deadly if you are a
tiny creature. Owls are right up there with bats and spiders as the most
popular creatures of Halloween.

Owls are classified into two categories: barn owls have a heart
shaped face, and true owls have a round face. In each category there are
of course several species; 16 Barn Owl species and 190 True Owl
species, to be exact. Owls don’t build nests, but make their home using
anything that is convenient, from a nest built in the ground by other
birds or burrowing animals, to a nook in a tree, to old abandoned
buildings.

Owls are carnivorous and will eat rodents,
small mammals, nocturnal insects, fish and even other birds. After
digesting their food, owls regurgitate hard pellets of compressed bones,
fur, teeth, feathers and other materials they couldn’t digest. A barn
owl can eat up to 1,000 mice each year, and farmers try to attract barn
owls to help control rodent populations in agricultural fields.

Most people will know that owls’ eyes are fixed in their sockets, so
that they have to turn their whole head to find their prey. You might
have heard the tall tale that, because of their fixed eyes, should you
circle an owl, it will wring its own neck watching you. As the owl can
only turn its head 260 degrees, this claim is impossible. Because their
eyes are fixed, they have binocular vision, a necessity for hunting in
the dark. An owl has three eyelids: one for blinking, one for sleeping
and one for keeping the eye clean and lubricated.

Owls have asymmetrical ears that are different sizes and different
heights on their heads. This gives the birds superior hearing and the
ability to pinpoint where the prey is even before they can see it. The
flattened facial disk of an owl funnels sound to the bird’s ears and
magnifies it as much as ten times to help the bird hear noises humans
can’t detect.
Some owl
species have “ear” tufts on their heads but they aren’t ears at all.
These tufts of feathers may indicate the bird’s mood and help keep it
camouflaged.

Owls have zygodactyl feet, which means they
have two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backward. This
gives them a stronger, more powerful grip on their prey. Their feathers
have been especially adapted to muffle the sounds of flying. Their broad
wingspan and light bodies helps to make them nearly silent in flight.
Handy for stalking prey.

For most owl species, females are larger, heavier and more aggressive than the males and she is also the most colorful.

Owls don’t only hoot, but are capable of a wide range of sounds, such
as screeches, whistles, barks and hisses. During the nesting season, an
owl’s calls can often be heard up to a mile away. And they sing duets
with their breeding partner, whom they mate with for life.

Interesting fact: Did you know that a group of owls is called a parliament?

Owls have been found in the fossil record up to 58 million years ago. The largest recorded owl fossil, Orinmegalonyx oteroi,
stood about three feet tall. Owl images have been found in cave
paintings in France, in Egyptian hieroglyphics and even in Mayan art.
Most cultures focused on the dark aspect of the owl, mainly because of
man’s inherent fear of the dark. Because the owl is nocturnal, and the
medical fact that most deaths occur at night, the owl became associated
with death.

The biggest modern threats to owls are habitat loss, pesticides that
poison the birds and their food supplies, and human persecution because
of negative superstitions.

Unfortunately for the owl, they have been much maligned by folklore
and superstition. In ancient Greek mythology, Athena, goddess of the
Underworld and Wisdom, had a companion owl on her shoulder, which
revealed unseen truths to her. The Japanese believe the owl warns them
of impending danger. In Celtic folklore the owl was sacred and endowed
with magical powers. To the Welsh, the owl symbolized death, renewal and
wisdom. Today, owl superstitions still associate the birds with bad
luck, death and stealing souls in many cultures.

In paganism, the owl is associated with the goddess, wisdom,
Underworld deities and prophecy. Owl symbolism used in meditation and
ritual can help you interpret dreams, unmask those who would deceive you
and find hidden spiritual truths.

For me personally, hearing an owl hoot at night means something good is about to happen.

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About Me

Bestselling South African author Maggie Tideswell has a passion for romance. All over the world
people are falling in love and she just has to write about it. Ghosts can't
seem to leave her alone and she combines things that can't be explained, sweaty
bodies in rumpled beds in a way that will make your toes curl and your hair
stand on end.
Maggie can't do without perfume, a cup of tea and the internet.

She is nearly
as passionate about food as she is about creating alpha heroes every woman will
fall in love with as she does, every time. And boy, can she cook! The strangest
thing is that cats have never played any kind of role in her stories, as she is
owned by two of them.